KwaZulu-Natal

Best Time for Durban

Warm Indian Ocean year-round, consistent surf, subtropical energy

Monthly scores for 10 activities — derived from multi-year wind, rainfall, sea temperature, and wave averages. No opinion: every score is calculated from the data.

Hiking — Month by Month

Scored on: Dry trails, mild–warm temp, low wind

Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Nov

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid· key data point shown per cell

Jan

3/5

Fair

12d rain

Feb

3/5

Fair

12d rain

Mar

4/5

Good

11d rain

Apr

4/5

Good

10d rain

May

5/5

Excellent

5d rain

Jun

5/5

Excellent

3d rain

Jul

5/5

Excellent

3d rain

Hols

Aug

5/5

Excellent

6d rain

Sep

4/5

Good

9d rain

Oct

3/5

Fair

12d rain

Nov

4/5

Good

11d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

15d rain

Hols

Where to go

Umgeni River Bird Park walk
Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve
Krantzkloof NR (day trip)

Best Months per Activity

Months scoring 4/5 or higher. Click a row to explore that activity.

Hiking

Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Nov

Camping

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Beach & Swimming

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Nov, Dec

Learn to Surf

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Surfing

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Stand-Up Paddleboard

Feb, Apr, May, Jun, Jul

Kayaking

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Scuba Diving

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Snorkelling

Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec

Fishing

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Monthly Weather Averages

5-year averages 2020–2024 (ERA5); wave height 3-year average 2022–2024 (CMEMS)

Month	High/Low (°C)	Rain days	Wind (km/h)	Sea (°C)	Wave (m)	School
January	27.8/20.8	12	22.4	25.7	2.3	Term
February	27.9/21.1	12	21.9	26.5	2.4	Term
March	27.4/20	11	22.8	26.3	2.5	Term
April	25.2/17.5	10	21.2	25.1	2.7	Term
May	24.2/15.1	5	19.3	24	2.6	Term
June	22.8/12.4	3	19.2	22.7	2.7	Term
July	22.4/11.6	3	20.6	21.7	2.8	Winter break
August	22.8/12.9	6	23.6	21.3	3.2	Term
September	23.1/15	9	24.2	21.4	2.9	Term
October	23.6/16.6	12	25.2	22	2.9	Term
November	25.2/18.3	11	23.9	23.1	2.6	Term
December	26.7/20.1	15	22.8	24.5	2.4	Summer break

How Scores Are Calculated

Each month receives a score of 1–5 per activity using fixed thresholds on the raw data. No editorial judgement — every score is derived directly from ERA5, NOAA ERSSTv5, and CMEMS figures.

Hiking:Dry trails, mild–warm temp, low wind

Camping:Dry nights, mild temperatures (frost/heat penalty)

Beach & Swimming:Warm air & sea, low wind, low rain

Learn to Surf:Moderate waves (1–2.5 m), warm sea, light wind

Surfing:Swell 1.5–4 m, offshore wind preferred

Stand-Up Paddleboard:Light wind <22 km/h, small waves, warm

Kayaking:Manageable wind & swell, dry, mild

Scuba Diving:Calm seas, warm water (visibility & comfort)

Snorkelling:Calm, clear, warm water

Fishing:Calm seas, manageable wind, cooler water

Data Sources & Attribution

Wind speed, rainfall & air temperature

ERA5 reanalysis (ECMWF) via Open-Meteo Archive API. Daily-max 10 m wind speed, total daily precipitation, and 2 m temperature, 2020–2024, averaged to monthly means. License: CC-BY 4.0.

open-meteo.com

Sea surface temperature

NOAA ERSSTv5 (Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature, version 5) accessed via NOAA CoastWatch ERDDAP. Monthly mean SST at nearest 1° grid cell, 2020–2024. NOAA NCEI public domain dataset.

coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/erddap

Significant wave height

CMEMS (Copernicus Marine Service) via Open-Meteo Marine API. Daily-max significant wave height at nearest offshore grid point, 2022–2024 (3-year average; CMEMS model data available from 2022). License: CC-BY 4.0.

marine-api.open-meteo.com

Data last fetched: 2026-05-02

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